Here's the next part! I like this one, but please tell me if the humor works. I was still kinda trying to find the tone for this story. It is also very long, fair warning. Part 6 will likely take a little longer to come out, since... I haven't written it yet. 

Part 5: Dry as Bones

~~

Cool and gentle wind blew across the landscape, making it seem like an endless ocean of silvery-gray water. Some trees were dotted across the sand, but not nearly enough to make a forest. But as far as Starseeker could tell, it had always been just a vast, silver desert, although it was one she knew well. Sighing with the slight smell of scorched parchment that hung in the wind, Starseeker stretched out her sail-like wings, finally able to. In rainforests and museums and other cramped places, she’d often had to resort to a human form just to fit inside them and not knock anything over, but in this region of Cricket, she was free to go as far as she liked. In fact, she felt bursting with energy right now.

Ignoring an annoyed squawk from Zoey, Starseeker gave a huge sweep of her wings, stirring up some of the sand, and shot into the sky, letting the wind carry her higher and higher. Once she had risen far enough above the group to make them seem like trees themselves on the desert below, she began gliding around, enjoying the cool rush over air that blew over her scales. It was so easy to just spread her wings and allow the wind to push her up, the slightest twitch of her wingtip sending her in a different direction. Every so often she glanced down to see the progress that the group had made, which seemed very small from her vantage point. But eventually she saw that they had reached a first cluster of trees, their thin, white leaves fluttering in the breeze.

Interested to see another tree, especially since this one looked full of threads, Starseeker dipped her body and swooped downwards, landing with a thump besides Squeak. These trees were standing tall and proud, their branches swaying in the wind. They were covered with white leaves that had black writing scrawled tightly on their surfaces. “Wow!” Starseeker breathed, her violet eyes widening with astonishment.

Reaching up, Quill plucked a leaf from the tree, quickly scanning it with flashing eyes. “I don’t recognize this one,” she said thoughtfully. “So it must be pretty new. But it’s so full…”

“Full of what?” Cilantro asked snappishly, her eyes squinting in the bright sunlight. She looked rather peeved and uncomfortable, shifting awkwardly in the silver sand. Though the air wasn’t as hot as it might be, it still felt a bit stifling. Starseeker was just glad she had a sheet of scales to protect her out here. “I’ve never been to Inkwell before.”

“Why not?” Quill asked, seeming surprised, and a couple other CBers and AEs wore the same expression. Cilantro frowned, waving a hand.

“Just never bothered. No need to.”

“Well, to answer your question…” MewFour suddenly said, pulling a papery leaf off the tree, whose bark was as black and smooth as ink, stark against the pale sands. “These are all threads put on by other people, except for the core thread. The core is used when a CBer or AE creates a story, and plants it out here. Of course, solo write leaves are only ever added by the author, but many others still travel here to read them, waiting in excitement for new entries.” The lavender-skinned AE had a bored position and his tone drawled slightly, but his bright violet betrayed his real interest in the subject. “This one looks like an RP. See all the different handwriting? And since it’s so new and full, I’m sure someone will be coming soon.” He glanced off towards the shifting sands, as if to look out for anyone appearing over the hills.

“Oh, okay,” Cilantro yawned, stretching luxuriously. “That was… mildly interesting?”

“Thanks,” MewFour snorted, adjusting his tie and brushing a few specks of sand off it. Back when Starseeker had just come to Cricket, she had expected Inkwell Desert to be enormously dusty and messy, grinding sand into her scales. But surprisingly, the nearly barren land was almost moon-like in its composure, deliciously alien and mysterious. And it was normally so quiet, too, except when RPs were thriving and growing. Sometimes the place experienced periods of drought, where barely a tree grew; other times it flourished with life and new buds. Right now it was quieter, mellower.
Starseeker tensed her muscles, preparing to take flight to circle around again, when Jarnen put a hand on her shoulder.

“Wait,” he said, as she paused and turned to the AE. “What’s that?” Squinting, Starseeker followed Jarnen’s finger and saw that he was pointed at a dark smudge in the distance, something that was too far away to make out but was definitely larger than a simple RP tree.

“I’ll go check it out,” Starseeker promised, meeting Jarnen’s eyes. “Be back soon.” Pushing off the ground, Starseeker soared into the air, heading for the dark blot. As she neared it, she began to see that it wasn’t just an ominous smear on the desert, but a thickly wooded forest, shocking for a desert. Keeping her space above it, she spiralled around it for a moment, then a flash of movement caught her eye. Narrowing her eyes, Starseeker spotted a couple of small shapes, with pointed ears and long, thin tails. “Cats!” she exclaimed out loud, fluttering for a moment. What on earth were a bunch of cats doing in the desert? Sharply, Starseeker swooped back to the group, landing heavily in front of Jarnen. “It’s a big forest, first of all,” she said, shifting around to walk by his side. “I couldn’t see much because of the trees, but I did see a few cats down there.”

“Cats?” Jarnen murmured, pressing a hand to his mouth.

“That’s what I said!” Starseeker squawked, her tail whipping back and forth and creating tiny lines in the silver sand.

“Wait, did I hear someone say cats?” Zoey asked, popping her head forwards.

“Yeah! They’re in a forest up there!” Starseeker responded.

“Weird,” the AE replied, biting her tongue in thought.

“What’s weird?” Anna asked, bouncing up.

“Cats! A bunch of cats in the desert are weird!” Zoey said back.

“Wait, cats?” Elementgirl said, turning her head.

“Yes, cats! Starseeker said they’re in a forest just ahead of us!” Anna

“Huh,” Elementgirl frowned.

“Did I hear--”

“Let’s just go see the stupid cats, then!” Danie snapped, throwing her hands into the air. The babbling questions cut off, the CBers and AEs looking sheepishly at each other. Danie swept a glare around the group, sighing heavily.

“Cats,” Cilantro whispered.

After another twenty or so minutes of travel, the exhausted and now thoroughly dusty group reached the clump of trees that Starseeker had spotted when flying above. Entering cautiously, Starseeker flinched at every snap of a twig under her foot, wishing she could tread more quietly. Sighing under her breath, she reluctantly gave up her dragon form, instead becoming a smaller and less bulky human. The forest was sunny beneath the trees, probably due to the bright desert sun. In addition to this, silver sand could be seen in clumps and drifts, filtering through the moss and grass as it was blown in from the Inkwell Desert.

So far the group hadn’t come across any real cats, but they were in a densely vegetated forest--felines could be anywhere in the shadows. Starseeker didn’t they would attack (I mean, come on--cats), but there was no harm in being careful. Her eyes swept over the shrubbery, searching every nook and cranny, and finally her vigilance was paid off. As they passed a suspiciously flowing and full stream, Starseeker spotted a flash of movement off the path they were taking. A slim, smooth-furred shape that bounded into the bushes in less than a second, though not before Starseeker saw a glimpse of round orange eyes.

“I saw one!” she exclaimed, pointing. Zoey turned her head to look at her CBer, then followed her finger to the spot where the cat had vanished.

“I don’t see anything,” Zoey said, pouting her lip out and frowning in thought.

“Well, yeah, that’s why I said ‘I saw’, Zoey,” Starseeker replied, rolling her eyes. “It’s not there anymore. But we can follow its path, and maybe we’ll get somewhere.” Zoey snapped her fingers, eyes lighting. Sighing again, though this time it was more good-natured, Starseeker cautiously stepped into the bracken and pushed the leaves aside, scanning the ground for signs of where the cat went. They followed a winding trail through the forest, but eventually the trees and brush began to clear, until they came upon a more well-worn path. Starseeker lifted a finger to her lips, motioning to be quiet, and then the group of fifteen entered the clearing.

There was a second of silence as the CBers and AEs stared at the cats scattered around the shallow clearing, no one daring to move. Then a small gray tabby gave a yelp and skittered up a tree, disappearing into the leaves. Everyone burst into motion, and Starseeker nearly tripped and slammed, facedown, into the dirt. Coughing, she regained her balance and leaned against a tree, only to have a bulky tan cat crash into her ankles. That motion finally sent her over, and by the time Starseeker had fully gotten back to her feet, her head was spinning like a top.

“Everyone stop!” a voice suddenly yowled out, echoing around the small clearing. Starseeker froze, though as a few seconds passed she slowly eased herself to a comfortable sitting position. The cats in the area scrambled aside, letting a lone figure pass through the crowd. The CBers also shifted, gathering around and nearby Zoey, who looked thoroughly unhappy to be the one confronting the issue. A tall, slender white and brown patched cat was stalking towards the invaders, her yellow eyes flashing like sparks. Starseeker would have laughed at the fact that they were all being intimidated by an animal she had seen attacking its reflection on YouTube, but suddenly something clicked in her mind. There were dens spread around the clearing, and one of the cats had come out clutching herbs in its mouth. Coupled with the powerful and almost daunting presence the brown and white cat had given off, it was painfully obvious.

“Of course!” she said out loud, startling the other CBers. “You’re warriors. How did I not see it before?” The leader regarded her with a suspicious yellow eye, but relaxed after a moment.

“Yes, we are,” she replied, coming to a halt in front of Zoey but looking over at Starseeker. “My name is Thistlestar, and this is DesertClan. I apologize for any… offensive greeting you might have had, but understand that we don’t get visitors often. Your appearance here was quite unexpected.”

“No problem,” Starseeker required, though one of her elbows was scraped from her fall. This wouldn’t have happened if she was still a dragon, she thought glumly. You can’t scrape scales with dirt. “So…” she bit her lip, trying to think of what she wanted to say. “Why are you out here anyways? I didn’t think a forest this huge could grow in a desert, of all things.”

“Ah, there we go,” Thistlestar purred, a twinkle in her eye and a smile curling her muzzle. Lifting her tail, the leader beckoned to the CBers and AEs, leading them into the clearing. “I’ll get to that. Before, that, though, I implore you to meet my Clan. This is my deputy, Pebblethroat--” she gestured to a fluffy gray she-cat with pale green eyes, who twitched her tail nervously. “--this is my medicine cat, Honeycloud,” A golden-brown tom blinked at them amiably when his name was mentioned. “And these are my warriors!” With that the requested of the Clan reluctantly glanced at the newcomers. Starseeker waved back a bit awkwardly, though her heart was thumping with the excitement of meeting a real Clan of warriors.

“As for your first question, it requires a slightly lengthy explanation. Firstly, are you already aware of how RPs function?” When the CBers nodded, Thistlestar continued. “Warriors RPs are the most popular in CBers. Our stories have been spread countless times across the desert, with innumerous characters and Clans. In fact, warriors were so well known that a forest began to grow with all the RP trees CBers had sprouted. Within their branches, real and true warrior cats living inside them. So really, you could say we were brought to life by words. And since our RPs continue to flourish, our forest continues to grow in splendor.” With that, she smiled at the CBers, who carried mixed expressions of awe and shock. “Anyways, I’m sure you haven’t just come here to admire our trees. Is there something you need?”

“Oh--actually, yeah,” Starseeker said, starting. “We’re looking for some CBers who have disappeared, like they’ve been taken by some… some monster thing. Not just from the CB, though--from people’s memories, too.” Thistlestar’s ears flattened against her head, and her eyes widened in shock.

“How horrible,” she murmured. “Eaten by a monster… terrible.” She sat there, thinking for a moment, then straightened up and looked at the CBers. “Well, I’m afraid that DesertClan can’t offer you much more than a meal and a rest, but we’d be more than happy to provide that, if you like.”

“That’d be great, thanks,” Zoey said, inserting herself into the conversation. “Where should we sleep?” Thistlestar flicked her tail-tip in thought, then pointed to a far point of the clearing.

“I’m afraid your group is too large to fit inside any den, or even our camp, but not a few fox-lengths outside this clearing is a place we call ‘the glades’. The ground is covered in soft moss, and the leaves shelter your eyes from the hot sun. I’m sure it will be fit for you, but do be careful; we do quite a bit of hunting there.”

“Great,” Zoey said, grinning. “We’ll be right on our way, then. It’s been awesome meeting you and all these other cats, Thistlestar.”

“The same to you, AE,” Thistlestar said demurely, though she seemed amused. Zoey winked and flashed her a finger gun, and then shoved through the bushes and disappeared into the forest. Starseeker nodded to Thistlestar and they shared a look, and then she followed her AE and the rest of her friends. Once all the foreigners had completely left, Thistlestar let out a long sigh. “That was quite the rush!” she exclaimed, stretching until her whiskers quivered. Honeycloud purred with laughter, scooping up the herbs he had been carrying.

“I thought we were being attacked by foxes at first,” he admitted, chuckling. “Thankfully, it was just a bunch of CBers. What a relief.”

“Yes, certainly,” Thistlestar said, grooming her paw. Then she looked up, swept her eyes around the clearing, and loudly meowed, “Seedwhisker! Grasswillow! Slatewing! Take a hunting patrol to the other end of the forest. Froststripe, you take Cinderflurry and Rubblepaw on a border patrol.” With that, the Clan moved into action, fur flashing in the dim evening light.

In the shadows of the warrior’s den, two shapes were hunched over, peering out of the gloom. One was a slender white tom with a tabby-striped tail, his dark green eyes nearly black. His companion was a massive creature, almost more like a lynx than a cat. Its fur was entirely black, rippling in the darkness, and its pale blue eyes were all but white. The black cat let out a growling whine, and the white one snapped his teeth at it.

“Shut your mouth!” he rasped, tail lashing. “We just have to wait for the right chance.” They paused a second more, and then the white and tabby tom casually slid out of the shadows and strolled out of the den, nodding amiably to a couple warriors along the way. The black cat followed in his pawsteps, its head low to the ground and tiny specks of drool dripping from its maw. In half a second they were outside the camp, close on the CBers’ trail. After a minute of careful stalking, however, the black cat let out a snarling complaint, one that rocked the bushes. Hissing, the white cat swatted at the black cat, but his claws were sheathed.

“Fine, then!” he snapped. “Go off and crunch up a bird if you want, but be back in a minute.” The black cat let out a shrill yelp and bounded away, thundering through the bracken. The white and tabby tom rolled his eyes and lowered his body to the ground, slithering through leaves. Finally, he reached the glades where the CBers were sheltering. Remaining still in the shadows, he began to wait. Slowly night fell, and eventually he felt the black cat’s presence at his side. With a nod, the two cats entered the clearing and padded up to a sleeping figure, leering over them. Salivating, the black looked at the white tabby with wide, white eyes. The white cat nodded, a smug grin passing over his muzzle.

With a giddy squeal, the black cat bit down on the AE’s hand, waking them up with a scream of pain. They only had a second to look down at their hand, look up at the two felines, and blink before they vanished completely, leaving behind only empty space. By now, people were jerking away and bumping around in the darkness, filled with confusion. They were too late, however; with a glimmer of pitch green and white eyes, the two creatures melted away into the night.

Top!

And top again!

I swear Hazel's said that CAPTCHA before.